View Vacancy – Head of Institutional and Venture Capital

Be part of the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) mission to drive more trade and investment between North America and the UK. With a mature, high spending consumer market and an open economy, world-class talent and a business-friendly regulatory environment, the UK is the leading destination for foreign investment in Europe, and the second highest investment destination in the world. The UK is also the world’s seventh largest exporter and the second largest services exporter.  

We employ over 150 people across North America, all united by our vision of a future where we champion open and fair global trading that drives growth, creates better jobs and higher wages, and improves living standards in the UK and around the world.  We seek talented team members with the passion and drive to help us in our mission to build a global appetite for British goods and services; drive investment; negotiate trade deals and open up markets; improve international trading standards and fight unfair trading practices. 

North America is the largest source of investible capital in the world, and home to the majority of the world’s leading investment firms across nearly all investor categories. DBT’s mission is to attract high value, high impact capital from major North American investors to help deliver on the UK government’s growth agenda and other overarching strategic priorities.

Based at the British Consulate-General in San Francisco, the Head of Institutional and Venture Capital will proactively identify, target, prospect, develop, and manage new and existing relationships with some of the world’s major private investors, with particular focus on the leading institutional investors and venture capital firms on the west coast of the US, most notably in the Bay Area, the world’s foremost ecosystem for venture capital.

Additionally, the successful applicant will be expected to exercise their sector knowledge and expertise in support of the Sector Director to provide additional sector leadership capacity within the network, including engaging with key stakeholders in Whitehall, and directly managing strategic accounts. This will include periodically deputising for the Sector Director. There will also be line management of Senior Capital Investment Officers outside of the candidate’s primary Post, as well as supporting the Sector Director more broadly in the effective leadership and efficient operation of the North America Capital Investment Sector team.

You will work as part of a team located across North America with responsibility for driving capital investment from the United States and Canada into sectors of strategic significance to the UK economy, as well as being a valued member of the San Francisco Consulate team.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Together with the Sector Director, shape, promote, and deliver the Integrated Sector Plan for Capital Investment, North America, in consultation with key stakeholders and wider UK government departments.  Plan and lead cross-team projects in the execution thereof. Represent the region in cross-departmental and cross-UK government working groups.
• Keep pace with market trends both in the capital investment sector, as well as key focus industry verticals, with particular focus on renewable energy, infrastructure, life sciences, emerging technology, real estate and sport. Understand and communicate UK government strategy in relevant sectors.
• Proactively target investors with strategies and portfolios aligned with UK government priorities, as well as the propensity to increase their asset allocation and exposure to the UK. Successfully build and manage a pipeline of knowledge-driven investment opportunities and projects in focus industry verticals
• Provide a comprehensive account management service to a diversified portfolio of key investors based on the west coast of the US. Support and build positive relationships at multiple levels and touch points, coordinating closely with UK-based colleagues at DBT headquarters in London.
• Work with internal and external stakeholders to deliver high-impact programming, including developing and hosting roundtables, seminars and trade missions, preparing briefing materials and contributing to Ministerial and other VIP visit programmes.
• Utilise existing CRM tools to capture investor engagement and manage investment project progression.
• Provide day-to-day leadership of direct reports. Support the Sector Director in the overall leadership of the North America Capital Investment Sector team, including oversight of budget forecasting and compliance, activity reporting, and team operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Line management of multiple Senior Capital Investment Officers.
• Manage events and travel budgets.

• Experienced people leadership (both direct and indirect)
• Demonstrated professional experience/skills in a multinational business, negotiation or project management role, ideally with a major corporation or investment firm.
• Thorough knowledge of the capital investment sector, venture capital and associated trends in the US, and preferably in the UK.
• An excellent network of contacts in the capital investment sector in US or the ability to develop such a network, with the credibly to interact at a senior level.
• Excellent stakeholder management abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and networking skills.
• Excellent management and collaboration skills with the ability to deliver results.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to multitask and complete work while traveling.
• An understanding of international relations and UK Government policy preferred. 
• Must be able to attend events outside of office hours and undertake travel in the US and internationally up to 20% of your time.

As a valued member of our team we will help you to achieve your goals through continuous professional development.

Please note: Must have the legal status to live and work in the US at the time of applying unless sponsorship is clearly stated in the advert.

Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US has restrictions on the type of visas our non-diplomatic staff may hold.  If you are not a US Citizen or a US Permanent Resident, or the dependent of a diplomat (with an EAD card), you may not be eligible for employment with the UK government. We cannot accept student Visas (J1, F or M) nor other forms of work Visas (I, H, P).  If you hold a work visa it is best to check on your eligibility to work for a foreign government before applying for a position. The UK Government does not routinely sponsor work visas; the job advertisement will state clearly whether sponsorship is available. 

You may refer to our website for additional information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-usa.

All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work.

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required: excellent verbal and written English.